Lies
by LaughingLadybug
Summary: The Avengers have kids and these kids have a friend. That friend's name is Annaliese...just Annaliese. She doesn't know who her friends really are and her friends don't know what she's been through. All they know is she needs them as much as they need her. All she knows is her family is dead and gone and she has no one left...or does she?
1. Chapter 1

She was waiting on her front porch for her friends to come; every now and then she would glare at the door. Annaliese looked at her watch and sighed; it was twelve forty-five and they still weren't there. Whenever she got a chance to get away from the pig sty she called her foster home, she'd jump at it. She hated it here, she hated being blamed for everything, she hated being the one to clean up the messes the others made only to have it dirty again within 30 minutes, she hated when her foster mom, Lauren, came home drunk. She hated it all and was planning an escape any day now. But for now, she'd settle for an hour or two out of the house.

Suddenly she heard the sound of bike tires coming down the drive way. "Where were you guys," she called to them happily.

"Studying," Michael lied. Really they were all helping their parents and Uncle Steve save the city, but she didn't know that, and none of them wanted her too. None of them wanted her to know that their parents are the Avengers. That's why Katie and Michael changed their last names from Stark to Sharp and Johnny and Jamie changed the way they talked. It's why Emily tried to keep her cool no matter what. None of them wanted her to stop acting normal around them.

"Come on Annie, let's go," an inpatient Johnny Blake said.

"I'm coming," she said in an equally inpatient voice. "I see you have your handy dandy camcorder."

"Yup," he grinned. Johnny never went anywhere without it.

"When does he ever not have it," Penny said.

"Let's hit the road cadets," Katie said, sounding a bit like her Uncle Steve. And with that they were off. Like always, Jamie and Johnny were racing to see who would get to the road first, and the other four of the group were making bets. As always Annaliese and Katie won.

It was an amazing day; they ate pizza, played games at the arcade. She truly did enjoy the day, but as she sat back and saw how _genuinely _happy everyone is, it made her heart ache. She wanted to be happy too, not just for a little while; she wanted it to last forever. Annaliese wanted to go home and be greeted by a loving family She sat back and watched Jamie and Johnny go back and forth teasing each other in an affectionate way. She wished more than anything she had a family like that. She used to have one but that was a long time ago. And a clean house, one that didn't reek of stale beer and cigarettes. Oh how she wished she had that, but she learned a long time ago that wishes didn't work.

As they said their good-byes to each other, she felt as if her heart was going to break. She always felt this way when they all said good bye. That's how much she hated her foster home. She wanted so badly to say to Emily, "Can I stay the night with you," or ask Johnny and Jamie, "Hey guys can I hang out with you a little bit longer?" But Annie knew she couldn't do that, if she did that then they'd figure out what was wrong, and things would head south from there.

So she faked a smile and promised to meet up with them tomorrow, and with that she rode her bike back home.

As the rest of the group rode back home Emily said, "Did something seem off to you guys?"

"No," they said in unison. Emily shrugged and decided to brush it off. It was probably nothing anyway.

Ten minutes. It was ten minutes past the time she was supposed to be "home," if you could call it that, and she still wasn't there. She rode her bike as hard and as fast as she could. The whole time she was cursing under her breath. "Please don't be awake, please don't be awake," she prayed. Maybe if Lauren was asleep she could sneak in through the window and everything would be fine. However when she made it there, all her hopes of sneaking in through the window were dashed when she saw the living room light.

_Time to bite the bullet_, she thought with a grimace as she stepped into the house.

"Where have you been," Lauren screeched.

"W-with my friends," she said with fear lacing through her voice.

"Liar," she hissed.

"You watched them pick me up though."

"Don't back talk to me!"

"I wasn't-"

_Slap_. The slap was so hard that it knocked her down. When she fell Ella took the opportunity to keep going with the punishment.

Ann took it lying down, with not one sound. All the slaps, hits, and kicks, and not one sound left her lips, not one tear left her eye.

"Now go to bed," Lauren said.

Annaliese nodded her head.

"Hi," all the kids said with huge grins.

"Well, well, well," Tony said with a smart alek grin. "The kids come home bright eyed and fluffy tailed. I think I know what's going on. You all went on double date!"

"No, that's not it Dad," Michael said laughing hard.

"We were hanging out with our friend Annaliese."

"Well she must have a beautiful spirit to put you all in such high spirits yourselves," Thor boomed joyously.

"I agree father, she truly is a wonderful person," Johnny said with his twin brother Jamie nodding in agreement.

"I want to meet this kid," Clint said.

"NO," they all chorused.

"And why not," Steve said indigently.

"She doesn't know we're the Avengers' kids," Amy said sheepishly. That's when all heck broke loose. It all ended with the kids agreeing in telling her tomorrow and bringing her to their house.

"Why did you lie," Steve said, angrier than he meant to.

"We didn't want her to treat us differently. The people who know who we are always compare us to you, saying, 'Is that the best you can do?' When we do something 'special' around her she gives us praise and tells us we're talented. When we can't do something she doesn't say 'Well if you can do this then you can do that,' she'll say 'You can do it, try harder.' She treats us like a real friend instead and is real. That's why we need her, and I get the feeling that she needs us just as much," Michael said boldly. When he finished all the adults were gaping at him.

She walked up the stairs and into her room. Ann looked herself over in the mirror and noted that bruises were already starting to form. But only in places that could be covered. She had to give it to Lauren; she was pretty smart that way. But that was the only way. Her body was already starting to feel sore. She let herself plop down on her bed and drift off to sleep

Annaliese couldn't sleep. Her boy was screaming. _Why? Why does she have to kick so hard_, she thought bitterly. She took deep breaths trying to ease the pain. She wished more than anything she stayed the night with Katie or Emily. She knew in the morning she'd be stiff, sore, and covered in bruises.

She closed her eyes once more and counted backwards from 100, trying to fall asleep, hoping that her dreams of freedom from the witch would come.

**A/N: Here's a character key**

**Michael and Katy: Tony Stark and Pepper Potts' kids**

**Emily: Bruce Banner and Betty Ross' daughter**

**Amy: Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff's daughter**

**Johnny and Jamie: Thor and Jane Foster's twin boys**

**Annaliese: parentage unknown…for now**

**Thanks for reading and I promise the story will get better! Please review! Special thanks to my friend crayotino18 for helping me.**


	2. Chapter 2

The adults were truly fascinated now. They had no idea that their kids have been harboring these feelings for Lord knows how long. The room was silent and Steve, wanting to lighten the mood and satisfy his own curiosity said, "What's she like?"

All the kids smiled then frowned, "She's…different," Emily started, "It's hard to put her into words."

"She's quiet, really quiet. But it's that quietness she has about her that just makes you want to know more. When you got him talking she's funny and smart. She radiated something that just makes you drawn to her," Michael said struggling with his words.

"Wait; wait," his mother said, "first things first. What's her name?"

"Annaliese," they chorused.

"Now we're getting somewhere. What's her last name?"

"She doesn't have one," Amy said from her spot on the counter. "She was put into foster care when she was little, and no one bothered giving her a last name."

Pepper shook her head; this was going to take a while.

It was midnight when she heard the sound again. _Rat-a-tat-tat…rat-a-tat-tat. _She's heard that sound so many times now, but it still scared her. Annaliese listened to uncomfortably familiar sound and told herself it's the rain on her window pane. After it going on for an hour she finally decided to get downstairs and see what's going on.

As she silently made her way down the steps she hear someone say, "_What are you doing up?" _It was the voice of the person she hated and feared most; Lauren. "Are you going to answer me?"

"I-I heard noises," she said, "a-and I wanted t-to make sure-"

"Oh, shut up," she said with an eye roll, "and look at me when I'm talking to you," you could hear the anger in her voice. Ann did what she was told with a small whimper, she knew what was coming next. She took a deep shaky breath and prepared for the worst.

_Slap_

It wasn't as hard as the one she got earlier, but it burned as if someone had cut her cheek open and pored lemon juice and salt on it. Ann gingerly reached up and touched it, wincing away from her own hand.

"No go back to bed before you get me really angry," Lauren seethed. She grabbed the girl by the hair, led her to her bed room, and threw her into the room.

When Lauren threw her inside she hit the bed, bounced off, and landed on the floor. When she got back to her feet she was taken aback by what she saw outside her window; two scruffy little faces with matching innocent brown eyes staring into her hazel green ones. The boy (or at least she thought it was a boy) reached up and tapped the familiar rhythm on her window.

Without thinking she stepped forward and unlocked the window. Something in their eyes seemed to have melted the fear away. Ann opened her window and in climbed a boy and a girl around the age of four-teen. They were both covered in dirt, had tattered blue jeans, worn out t-shirts. The girl cherry blonde hair and brown eyes, and the boy had brown hair and brown eyes. "W-who are you," she asked warily.

"Friends," the boy said with a light New Jersey accent. "My name's Joseph that's my sister Amelia."

The girl gingerly cradled her cheek and said, "We saw what happened, and we want to make a deal. In exchange for food, shelter and clothes, we keep your secret," she said with an accent matching her brother's.

"Do we have a deal," he asked.

"Yes."

**A/N: Another special thanks to my friend Crayotino18, for helping me with this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

Joseph and Amelia followed Annaliese out the window and to the garage. "It's really cool in here during the summer so you should be okay. I'll sneak out late to give you your food and I'll get your clothes from the D.A.V. Is that okay," she asked in a whisper as they stepped into the garage.

"Perfect," they said in unison. After all these years they still couldn't believe they were able to do that.

"Here's the rub," Ann said looking down and shuffling back, "You'll have to leave early in the morning and a little late at night. You'll have to be really quiet too. I promise I'll find somewhere better tomorrow."

"That's fine sweetie," Amelia said kindly. Joseph smile, she always did get attached to these kids. Annaliese cocked her head in confusion; no one's ever called her honey before. Amelia gave her a sad smile in return; she knew that her part of this would be to show her compassion.

"Um, Lauren goes to work at half past five and comes home at noon," Ann said awkwardly.

Joseph smiled at her, "Okay, you better go to bed, it's late, and we'll be okay." She nodded and did what she was told. She ran out the door and climbed back into her room. When she got back into her room, she tip toed over her alarm clock and set it for 4:30AM. Then, Ann collapsed on her bed and went to sleep instantly.

Meanwhile, Joseph and Amelia stayed up late talking. "You know, you really shouldn't get attached. You know as well as I do that we'll have to leave soon."

She sighed, "I know, I know. It's so hard not to get attached. They're all just so innocent and need someone to love them. That's my job remember; show compassion, she needs it just as much as Bruce did."

He nodded his head, sadly. He remembered Bruce, the sweet and innocent brown eyed boy who was afraid of his own shadow. He also remembered the day that the little boy's mother was murdered. The poor kid was only ten, and she died right before his eyes. "I know, when I got there, the poor kid was in the corner shaking and crying."

"Yeah, he was like that in the orphanage too, I had to be his 'substitute mom,' but I didn't mind."

"Whatever you did seemed to have worked, because every time I saw him he was a little bit better." He noticed the sad look in her eyes and added, "He turned out great, he's now a well know scientist and part of the Avengers. He became a hero just like he was supposed to." He looked at her face intently and saw a proud smile crossed her face.

The next day…

"I'm not calling her you call her," Amy said

"I will not," Jamie said defiantly. Thor, Jane, Clint, and Natasha watched their kids amusedly.

"Oh give me that you fool," Johnny said, ignoring his father's laughter and the statement.

Ann was in the woods behind her house, when her phone went off. "Hello," she said.

"Heeeey Annie," Johnny said using his fake voice. His father stared at him opened mouth, meanwhile Clint was gesturing for him to put her on speaker phone. He quickly pressed the button.

"Hey," she said a little too cheerful.

"What's up?"

"Not much," she lied.

"Want to come over today?"

She paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say. "Nah, I'm busy."

"Doing what," he said laughter lacing its way through his voice.

"Exploring." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Can I explore with you."

As much as it pained her to say it, she did. "No, I've got to do this on my own."

"Oh," he said disappointed. It pained Thor to see his son upset, and he wanted to scream at the girl and ask her why his son was not worthy of accompanying her on her exploration. He wanted so badly to yell and scream then comfort his son, but he didn't. He kept silent.

The moment the words left her lips she felt guilty. Annaliese wanted Johnny to come, she wanted to have him by her side and cracking jokes every step of the way, but she knew that she couldn't. He would find out about Amelia and Joseph, and then they would leave, and she didn't want that. Like an actress on a stage she quickly covered her mistake and said, "How 'bout tomorrow?"

He brightened up almost instantly, "Deal. Can the others come too?"

"I see no reason why not. Hey I've got to go."

"Later Annie."

"Later Johnny." She hung up and then continued her quest to find shelter.

When he hung up, he turned to see his father staring at him, "Yes, Father?"

"How did you learn to disguise yourself so easily," he asked in total awe.

"Uncle Loki. He offered and I accepted. The skill has proven itself quite useful, might I add," he replied simply.

"I am glad that your uncle has taught you and your brother something useful."

"As am I, Father, as am I."

Annaliese kept walking around the borderline of the woods. Looking for the tree house that someone before her time built, it had to be at least fourteen years old. She trained her eyes on the leafy canopy above her, scanning for her tree house. When she finally found it she smiled and began to climb, it seemed to take forever to reach her destination, but when she did, she smiled and climbed inside.

She surveyed the room, and began to clean it out for its new guest. After that was done she then went to the D.A.V to pick up their "new" clothes and later made them lunch and dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

Amy and Emily were watching their Uncle Steve chase his three year old daughter, Sara, around the house as their Aunt Peggy sat back and laughed at the scene. Six years their Aunt Peggy has been there, and neither one of them still couldn't believe that she time traveled here because of an experiment gone wrong.

They both loved her, but today they didn't want to talk because both their hearts were breaking.

"What's wrong with you two," Peggy asked them. She knew these girls like the back of her hand and she knew something was wrong.

Emily looked up at her with tears swimming in her brown eyes. She blurted it all out, from lying to her friend to the deal they made with the adults. "I just don't want to lose my friend," she cried into her waist.

"Calm down love," she said stroking the young girl's hair. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine." Steve stopped chasing his son, picked him up, and walked over to where Peggy and Emily were standing. "Steve, could you put Sara down for his nap please?"

"Sure," Steve said. "Come on Sara, nap time."

"No," she whined while crossing her arms.

"Yes," Steve said sternly. Sara began to whimper and reach out for her mother to hold her

Peggy resisted the urge to hold her and said with a raised eyebrow, "Do you want a time out?"

"No momma," she whimpered in a small voice.

Peggy kissed her daughter's forehead and said, "Sweet dreams."

As Steve carried his daughter to bed he already started rubbing the small back, getting her calmed down for a nap. He gently hummed his little girl's lullaby as he felt Sara rest her head in the crook of his neck. By the time he reached the nursery his daughter was already asleep.

As Peggy watched Steve carry their son up to the nursery she was trying to calm Emily down. "Emily, please calm down love." Twenty minutes later the small girl was fine.

Annaliese was in her room looking into the bathroom mirror, staring at the fresh bright red hand print on her left cheek, poking it when she got a phone call. She knew it was Emily because the ring tone was It's Not Easy Being Green. "Hey Em," Annaliese said cheerfully.

"Hey Ann," Emily replied, almost forgetting why she was calling. Almost, "Do you want to hang out today?"

"Um, I can't," she said, noting her cheek. "I have a lot to do today."

"Oh okay, bye Ann," she said with fake sadness.

"Bye Em," came her reply and then she hung up.


	5. Chapter 5

Joseph and Amelia were sitting in their new temporary home and talking about all the kids they've helped over the years; more specifically, the ones who turned into the Avengers.

Amelia sighed, she felt protective over these kids, even though now they're grown adults and she looked like she was still a kid. "What's wrong sis," Joseph asked.

"Memories," she said and he picked up on it instantly. He couldn't blame her, he missed them too, but he knew it must be harder for her since she had to get closer to them than he did. His job was to be stability, something they could count on. Amelia's job however was a bit harder, she showed them compassion. She had to be their reminder that the world wasn't all bad, that there is such a thing as humanity. She had to show them that.

"I remember Steve," Amelia muttered. "How I we met him I mean. We were carried there on the wind and we were both fourteen years old. I ran to him and cleaned him up then took him to his home and did that every time he got hurt."

"Yeah when he joined the army he and I would sit up late and talk. Told stories about growing up, though mine were total lies….He mentioned you…he said you were the first girl to be nice to him," Joseph said as he watched Amelia blush.

"I remember holding Tony's hand during his parents' funeral and not letting go during the service," she said.

"Yeah he tried getting drunk that day but I refused to let it happen. No matter what bar he went to I would transform into a different bar tender and would never let him get drunk."

"I remember Clint," he continued. "When he and I were at the carnival and I was twenty years old when I found him. Man that kid stuck to me like glue. I was a magician and he was a marksman in training. I do not know how many times I pulled him out of trouble," he laughed. "I was basically his 'substitute dad'," Joseph laughed when he thought about all the sunny summer days he spent with a nine year old Clint and all the summers after before the kid ran away.

"Meanwhile I was with Natasha," she said with a sigh. "I hate the way I left her…."

"I know…I hate it too, but you couldn't just vanish in a facility like that."

"I know, but I 'died' in her arms….that's probably the worst thing I've done to a kid," she said putting air quotes on the word "died."

"What I did to Clint wasn't so great either, I told him to run away when his brother left him for dead when he fell off the high rope. I told him to run hard, run far, and to never look back and then I faked my death. Made him think I was shot so he'd keep running. But hey our plan worked. Clint was her saving grace; he helped finish our job, like we knew he would."

"Yup, thanks to your teachings," Amelia smiled.

"You have a lot to be proud of too, thanks to your tutoring, Bruce became a scientist which led to him being a hero, thanks to you keeping her alive and showing her how to fight Natasha is the world's best assassin, Steve stayed a sweet and kind person because you showed him how to be one. Yup, thanks to you sis they all became heroes."

She beamed at her brother and said, "Annaliese is going to be something great."

"She already is…we just need to help her realize that."


	6. Chapter 6

It's been two long weeks since Amelia and Joseph left, and now, Anna truly did feel alone. Her friends, the people who seem to be avoiding her at all cost, couldn't be with her all the time. They couldn't tap their fingers on her window and climb inside when she was hurt and feeling low. They couldn't make the all familiar _rat-a-tat-tat _sound on her window just the same as them. Her friends all had something special about them, she couldn't see it, but she could feel it. She missed them; they made her feel as special as they were, made her feel like she was meant to be something great.

Though they were gone now, it didn't feel like it. It felt like she still had them with her telling her that one day she would be something great, one day she will touch the hearts of millions with her two hands and make the world a better place. "No I won't," she said.

"Oh and what makes you say that," Joseph questioned.

"I'm not important, therefor no one will look in my direction and see anything 'special' about me. I don't have a lot of money so no adults would help me unless they were paid to do it. I'm a kid who's quiet all the time which rules out any and all adults listening to me."

Joseph tilted Annaliese's chin up so she would look him in the eyes. "You're right, no adults listen to kids and that makes it hard to change the world when no one will listen. But I promise you someday soon you will change _someone's _world for the better."

The way he said it, sounded more like he was reciting a fact than saying something optimistic and cheerful. It was as if he knew this for sure like how everyone knows for sure that the sky is blue and one and one makes two.

Anna stared out her window, contemplating it all. What Joseph said was coming to mind over and over again. Some people are born with greatness, others are lead to it, and some have greatness thrusted upon them. Which one was she? She knew she wasn't born great, she knew she wasn't going to have someone take her by the hand and show her how to be great, then that meant it would be thrusted upon her. In all honesty, the thought of it was somewhat scary. _Being forced to grow up….I can't do that, _she thought to herself.

"ANNALIESE," Lauren yelled up the stairs, "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Anna sighed and went down the stairs as quickly and as quietly as possible.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Get in here," she hissed and then pointed to the sink full of dirty dishes. "Why didn't you do the dishes last night?"

"Because you told me to get out of you sight and that you would do them," she replied and got a slap across the mouth for it. "Ow," she whispered.

"That's for being a smart mouth," she said then slapped her across the mouth again. "And that's for lying."

"But I wasn't lying," she said in her defense

She rolled her eyes, "You're always lying. I told you to do these dishes but did you? Nooooooo. You hardly do anything because you only care about yourself. The only thing you're good for is a meal ticket but in about six years you'll be completely worthless and I'll kick you out. You think I'll put up with dead weight weighing me down? Think again! I wish whatever idiot you had for a birth mother would've had an abortion because then I wouldn't be putting up with this and she would still be alive….see you ruin everything for everyone. Because of you, I'm put through stress every day. Because of you I turned to drinking and now I can't quit. Because of you, the house is always a wreck. Because of you your birth mother is dead. Do you hear that? Dead! D-E-A-D! DEAD! You're a murderer, do you hear me you scum bag, a murderer! Get out of my sight, I will do the dishes and you will stay in your room, no dinner for you, you can starve," to finish it all off Lauren threw Anna to the ground and kicked her to the foot of the stairs while she tried to crawl away. "NOW GO," she growled.

Anna used the banister to pull herself up and scurried up the stairs, taking the small dignity that she still had left with her. As she went up the stairs she could hear Lauren walk into the kitchen, pull a beer from the fridge, pop the cap, and chug it down.

She ran into her small, quiet, and calm bedroom and closed the door behind her. She walked to the corner sank down to the ground. Annaliese had her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees as she tried desperately to steady her breathing. _'I can't take this anymore, this isn't fair. What did I ever do to her?_' She wondered angrily as she took in a sharp breath. After a few minutes she stood up and opened her window slipping outside not bothering to look back to make sure no one saw her

Within minutes she was half way down town to where she was half certain where her friends lived; she just wanted to be near them. She stood there at the cross walk waiting for a moment to cross safely until she saw a little boy crossing alone…and a car was heading straight for him. _I've got nothing else to lose, _she thought to herself as she ran to push him out of the way. Suddenly the sound of screeching tires rang in her ears and everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Annaliese woke up to a bright white blinding light in her face. She scrunched her eyes and tried to sit up and push it out of her way but gasped in pain at the effort. She tried to speak but all it came out as was a small and pathetic sound, similar to one of a cat dying after its hit.

The doctor was in the room, monitoring her vitals when he heard the sound. He jumped a little, shocked that the sound he heard was one of a human child. "Hey honey," he said gently. "You're at the hospital. Do you remember what happened before you got here," he asked as he ran a hand through her hair gently, trying to give the child some sort of comfort.

She shook her head no, her eyes full of fear though her facial expression showed none of it. "Well...you were hit by a car because you were brave enough to push someone else out of the way. The man that hit you with his car knew you and your foster mother and brought you here okay. It was near my house and I heard what happened. Since I'm a traveling doctor and they needed some extra help today they let me come in to take care of you."

Anna winced a little when he got closer to her; just the way that he kept his attention on her was unnerving. Luckily she would be able to pass it off as fear of doctors and pain.

He looked her in the eye, the look that they held was familiar, as if he'd seen it before but couldn't place it. "We called your foster mother, she should be sometime soon. Do you want me to stay with you until she gets here?"

"….No….." she croaked out.

He smiled warmly at her and said, "Alright with me kiddo but I'm going to have to stay here long enough to set up some important equipment and run some test."

She nodded, too tired to speak.

He conducted the tests more quickly than he thought, and that worried him. He told himself that she was just scared stiff and was tired. "By the way, my name is Bruce, Bruce Banner."

"I'm Annaliese." Bruce smiled at her and went back to work all the meanwhile thinking, _Annaliese….surely I've heard that name before._

* * *

Meanwhile Joseph sat in the apartment he and his sister have lived for the last hundred years in his twenty-one-year-old form. Amelia was at the library, soaking in the comforting words on the aged pages of old books. He looked around at the walls with paint starting to chip off, and the ceiling with some leak stains on it. They were small, but noticeable. He and his sister updated the apartment to a certain extent, such as plumbing, lighting, other utilities and some of the furniture, but there were some things that neither one of them could bear to change. Such as the creaky floor board that's gotten them both in so much trouble. Or the old oak door that's been slammed closed out of anger, so very many times. The carpeting and throw rugs held too many memories of Christmas Eve's sitting by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate as their father read The Night before Christmas.

Joseph flopped down on the couch and sighed. Is this the life of a guardian? Constantly having to change everything about yourself when you're still stuck in the past, never experiencing the feeling of time's running its hand through your hair as you hold onto the embers of the memories from so many years ago.

He turned on the radio and put in an old tape recording of a 1923 Babe Ruth baseball game. _Home, sweet home_, he thought with a nostalgic smile. As the game played on and the announcer excitedly announced Babe Ruth stepping up to the plate, Joseph thought about his latest assignment: Annaliese.

He felt guilty that he was the reason why she was hit by a car. His sister was the child about to be hit and he was the driver. But he was doing his job, to nudge the kid (or in some cases push) in the right direction. _She needed it_, he told himself as the he heard the crowd on the radio cheered.


	8. Chapter 8

As Bruce walked out the hospital the scene from earlier that day replayed in his head over and over.

_It was a quiet morning; the sun was shining in a special way. You could hear the birds outside and the air was brisk. Suddenly that beautiful moment was shattered by the sound of screeching tires and a girl's sharp cry, though it wasn't one of pain, it was one of shock._

_Soon it was followed by the unmistakable sound of an ambulance._

_He ran to a window to see what was going on and his eyes widened. From the window he could see Mercy hospital ambulance loading a child onto a gurney. He could see strands of red hair…or was that blood…no it was hair...it wasn't red enough to be blood._

_There was so much blood though…he couldn't see her face though but he knew it was a girl by the cry. Again he was puzzled by the kind of cry, she sounded shocked, not scared._

_Figuring he could be of some help he loaded himself into his car and drove to the hospital and drove off. He got there just in time to see the bloody child being wheeled into surgery._

When the doctor left the room was silent except for the hum of the machines. Nurses passed by the dull room, the only bright color was her natural hair color, other than that the room was plain white. She looked around her and shivered. The room held a lifeless and depressing atmosphere.

All the other rooms that held children such as her had some sort of colors in them and held a warm and loving atmosphere. She looked around the room again and buried her head in the pillow and sobbed.

Why didn't it kill her? Why didn't the stupid car kill her? In all honesty she just wanted it all to end, she wanted a way out. She wanted it all to end. All the hits, kicks, slaps, the yelling, the name calling, and all the pain that came along with it. It's not fair, she didn't know what she did to deserve it but whatever it was must have been horrible in order to deserve this.

She sobbed and sobbed for what seemed like hours, it's been so long since she cried that she forgot how painful it was. Then again that pain she's feeling might be from her injuries. According to Dr. Banner she was supposed to stay there for two to three months. Despite the pain she sobbed and sobbed until she fell asleep, noticing the birds chirping in the background.

Joseph and Amelia sat outside the window pain in the form of birds. Both sighed internally, Amelia hated to see any of these kids cry for any reason and Joseph felt guilty that he's the reason why she was in the hospital. _I'm going to take the form of a nurse and take care of her for a while, starting tomorrow, _Amelia thought to her brother.

_Fine with me, _Joseph thought to her. He watched the poor kid cry and it broke his heart, but an idea came to him . He whistled a little tune in his bird form, one that he remembered from his child hood so very long ago. It sounded happy and hopeful and reassuring, well at least he hoped it did, though it still sounded better when it was sung, the way his father would sing it. Amelia joined in and chirped the harmony, recognizing the tune almost immediately. As she chirped away she made a mental note to hum it as she took care of Annaliese in the form of a volunteer nurse. As the song continued they watched the little girl slowly fall asleep, feeling accomplished.


	9. Chapter 9

Bruce went home and was greeted with a million questions. "Where were you," "What were you doing," "Why are you home so late?" The usual questions; he then went on to tell about his little "adventure" at the hospital with the little red headed girl.

"Poor, kid," Clint mumbled as he ate his dinner.

"Look both ways before crossing the streets kids," Tony said to them with a mouth full of pasta. The sound of someone being smacked in the back of the head followed, not to mention a stern look from Pepper.

"Tony, don't eat with your mouth full, you're as bad as the kids," she nagged. In response all he did was nod and shut-up.

Everyone chuckled at this and the atmosphere changed back to its natural happy mood. Everyone seemed to have gotten over what Bruce said; everyone except Clint. He couldn't help but feel worried for the poor kid. Maybe it was his natural fathering instinct. "So did she say what happened," he asked quietly.

Bruce shook his head no, "Could barely get her to talk. I don't know if it was because she was shy or in pain."

"Hopefully just shy," he said.

"Hopefully," Bruce agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile Amelia, in a nurse's form, was taking care of Annaliese at the hospital, doting over her as if she were her daughter. "I'm fine ma'am," Annaliese mumbled, but it wasn't true. According to them, she lost a lot of blood, suffered some head damage, plus she had a machine helping her breathe for the time being.

You see, on the first night she came in, she stopped breathing in her sleep. This, of course, worried them, making them think that she was too weak to breathe on her own. So, in turn, they put her on a breathing machine until she's "stable."

"Let me do my job, sweetheart," Amelia said as she stroked her hair.

"Fine," Anna groaned, causing Amelia to chuckle. A few hours later, Amelia left the room, giving the young girl some time to herself.

Annaliese waved bye to the nurse, and then looked around the empty room. And that's all it was, an empty white room with empty white walls.

No one cared that she was there, that was obvious. The only visitor she had was her foster mother, who acted sweet at first, but as soon as the door was closed, she flew into a rampage_. "WHAT is wrong with you, you stupid little BI? Just had to show off didn't you? What is it you want? Attention? Here, I'll give you some attention_." Lauren then grabbed Anna's hair and yanked as hard as she could. When Annaliese tried to pull away, Lauren grabbed her ear and pulled her closer the growled into it, _"Don't you dare pull anything like this again, you little attention hog."_ After that she walked away mumbling about how she wished that "The stupid car would've killed the brat."

Annaliese winced at the memory. Lauren hadn't dared coming back since that first day, which meant that Anna had no other visitors. She had hoped her friends would come, but they haven't, and it broke her heart a little.

As she looked at the room across the hall she frowned. It actually seemed…warm and loving in there, despite the sad circumstances. But she talked to him, the kid across the hall, when he came to visit her. Apparently he had a mild case of pneumonia and his parents brought him to the hospital to make sure he was going to be okay.

The nurse came back with some fresh pieces of paper, coloring pencils, crayons, and markers. She looked up at her confused and before she could ask the woman answered. "It looks so dull and depressing in here, so I thought maybe you'd like to add a little color to the room."

"Thank you," she croaked softly. The nurse just smiled and stroked Anna's head before walking out, leaving the young girl to her drawings.

* * *

Clint couldn't stop thinking about what Bruce said today, something about it just seemed …off. Why would a kid be wandering around alone in this part of town. Granted, he and Natasha let their daughter walk around town, but there's always someone there with her, plus she's "specially trained." She could take care of herself if the opportunity came up, though he hoped and prayed that it never did.

"That story bothering you too, eh," Natasha asked from their doorway. He nodded and then changed into a pair of gray sweat pants and a soft gray t-shirt.

"Something just seems off about it," he said to her as he pulled back the bed sheets. Natasha was changing into her sleep clothes just some black pajama pants and a red, slim fitting t-shirt.

Natasha nodded as she climbed into bed, "I know…the worst part is I can't place my finger on it…usually I'm good at this!"

He chuckled lightly and climbed in next to her, "Same here." Suddenly an idea came to him, weather it be good or bad, depended on how well the conducted themselves. "Hey Nat," he whispered into the ear of his half way asleep wife.

"Hey what," she whispered back.

"What do you say about us going down to the hospital and getting answers for ourselves?"

"I say that it sounds like a waste of time. Clint, it was just a little girl who had an accident while going for a walk. It's not like she was a murder suspect on the run."

"Tasha…please…for my sanity…let's go talk to this kid. Let her _prove _to me that it was just that: a freak accident while she was out walking."

"So…you want to go investigate a little girl…just for your peace of mind," she asked increadiously. In response he just nodded with a plain look on his face, as if the previously stated was obvious. "Fine, if that means we can both go to sleep."

Clint smiled at her then kissed her cheek, "Thank you Natasha," he murmured. "Goodnight, I love you."

"Love you too," she whispered. With that, Clint shut off the lights and wrapped his arms around his sleeping wife, and slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey people! Well as you can see, this chapter was re-written thanks to the help of my beta, CrayoTino18. Thanks so much and I hope you like this chapter! And let me know what you think!**

**Stay Gold,**

**~LaughingLadybug**

Clint woke up the next morning with Natasha asleep on his chest, he smiled and played with her hair softly and quietly so not to wake her. But it was in vain since his wife is such a light sleeper. Whenever he moved so much as a fraction in bed she would wake up. "Good morning," she yawned.

"Morning," he said before placing a soft kiss on her forehead and wrapping his strong arms around her. She smiled up at him and he smiled back, and they sat in a warm and comfortable silence as the early morning sunlight streamed through the window shades.

Natasha reached up and tangled her hand in his messy dirty blonde hair, "Do you still want to see her," she asked softly in a sleepy tone as the morning light danced across her skin. Right now was the perfect domestic moment, the one that twelve years ago he never dreamed of having. It took all his ill power not say no and just lay in bed the rest of the day with her head on his chest.

"Yeah," he said as he ran a hand up and down her back. She sighed softly, Natasha loved Clint dearly but sometimes his kind heart got in the way. "I promise, an hour and a half tops," he said.

"Fine," she said with a smile reserved for him and only him. Natasha kissed Clint's cheek then climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom with a sway of her hips that Clint couldn't help but notice. He smirked then got ready for the day.

A few hours later the two of them were ready, Clint dressed in a t-shirt and jeans with some mission boots and Natasha dressed in dress pant and a nice but not dressy and very well fitting shirt and a favorite pair of shoes. They looked at each other and walked out the door and into the car then drove to the hospital. Normally they never would've found it but thanks to Bruce it only took a few minutes to get there.

"Hello we're here to visit the girl that came here yesterday," Clint said to the lady at the front desk. She had fake blonde hair, lots of eye make-up and big red lips that formed an over cheerful and obviously fake smile. She was eyeing Clint up and down and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "My wife and I would really like to talk to her."

She frowned at the mention of his wife and said, "Seventh door to your right you can't miss it."

"Thank you," he said with a fake smile as Natasha smirked at the woman and grabbed Clint's hand, letting him lead her down the hallway and inside the room. That's when he saw her small, fragile, broke and breaking his heart. She sat there, hooked up to respirator all alone in a sterile white room. No parents, no friends, no sibling, no anybody. And she just sat there, sleepily drawing something with a half- eaten cup of pudding sitting on the bedside table. _Must've put pain killers in the pudding_, he thought to himself.

Natasha on the other hand didn't think much of it. Though she did think the little red head did look sweet sitting there…and something about her did seem familiar. She shrugged it off and then led Clint into the room. "Hey," she said softly, the child's head immediately jerked up to meet him and Natasha could have sworn she saw for a split second fear in the little girl's eyes.

She tried not to think about it as she smiled lightly at her and said, "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," she mumbled as she brought her knees to her chest.

Clint chuckled and looked a little more closely at her; the face shape and eyes seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. She fidgeted uncomfortably, not really liking all the attention the strange man was giving her, and hid under the covers from prying eyes. He frowned and pulled down the blanket only to find that she was hugging her pillow, the way she held it tightly but buried her face under it made it seem as if it were her shield. "It's okay, we won't hurt you," he assured but she didn't seem to listen.

Annaliese was scared, that much was certain. Who were these people and what did they want? And why are they being so nice? She knew from experience that when adults were really, really nice, something bad was coming. Plus she didn't like the way they were looking at her, as if she were a broken toy. I am not broken, she thought stubbornly.

Natasha jabbed Clint on the side and gave him a look the child did not see, and if she did she appeared to be too groggy by the medicine to know what it meant. Clint on the other hand recognized the look; it was one their daughter had forced them to create. He nodded and cleared his throat softly to get the young girl's attention. "What's your name, kid?" he asked

"Annaliese," she whispered with hints of fear in her tone.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl," Natasha commented, trying to put the child at ease. "What's your last name?"

"I don't have one." Clint and Natasha shared a look and returned their gaze to the girl. It was obvious that the pain killers were kicking in being as she seemed less tense. Let's see, red hair…green hazel eyes…no last name, Where had they heard those characteristics before? Oh, that's right she fit the description of their daughter's 'best friend.'

"Were you alone the night of the accident," Natasha asked, by her tone of voice it was obvious that she's a mother. The young girl just nodded. "Why?"

"Running away," she mumbled sleepily. Now keep in mind that the pain killers that she was given were very strong and she was so tired that she was off her guard. No longer paying attention to what she was saying, nor was she remembering the threat Lauren had made if Annaliese ever told anyone that she was being abused.

"What were you running away from?" Clint inquired. She knew something bad might happen if she told but figured if she said in quietly enough no harm could come from it.

"Because my foster mom hits me…and I wanted it to stop," she mumbled against the pillow that was once again covering her face. Natasha clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging into the tender flesh of her hand. How dare anyone hurt an innocent child? What kind of low life would do such a thing?

Anger flared up inside Clint causing his jaw to clench when he heard that. "Show me," he ordered, in response she held up her arm to show the bruises the size of grip marks on her and now they had all the pieces to the motive put together.

She was beat on daily bases, probably terrified that if she so much as breathed she would be beaten. So she ran away, then seeing the on- coming car she saw it as her way out, figuring that since there was another person about to be hit would be the perfect way to cover up her attempted suicide as a heroic act. Clint had to give it to the kid; she's smart, real smart.

"What's your foster Mother's name?" Natasha asked in a strained voice attempting to control her anger, and hoped the child didn't notice.

"Lauren." Annaliese replied softly she was starting to get very tired and all she wanted to do was sleep. But the two grown- ups in the room wouldn't stop asking her questions.

It was nearly five hours later when she fell asleep, seeing as every time she would dose off she would receive another question. But now they appeared to be all out, so she slept. Lulling her -self to sleep with a melody she didn't know where she had learned, but it was sort of a habit of hers to hum her-self asleep to it every night. Clint froze for a moment_, Where have I heard that melody before, _he asked himself as he tucked her in as best he could in the hospital bed and ruffled her hair before leaving.

Natasha followed him out with a very confused look. "Ummm…Clint-"she asked and waited for him to give her his full attention. "Yeah?" he asked.

"What happened to The Grey Lady?" she questioned, throwing him off guard.

"She died about twelve, thirteen years ago, Why?" he asked, not sure he liked where this was going.

She nodded. "And remember how her husband died right after she found out she was pregnant and how she supposedly died of child birth on a subway?" she pressed.

"Yes, I do. Natasha what are you-" he was cut off.

"Think about it Clinton, carefully and tell me who that girl reminds you off." she pressed.

"Nata-" he began.

"I said think about it Clinton." she commanded.

For a moment he was silent as he took everything into consideration, but he didn't know how much time actually passed before it dawned on him. "She's my niece..."


	11. Chapter 11

The drive home was silent from that point on as memories of his beloved little sister filled Clint's mind.

_"Don't go Barney," Clint whimpered inaudibly as he watched his brother walk away from him he dropped off Clint on the grown only a quarter of a mile away from the Circus' site after he had watched Clint fall from the tightrope. He didn't know how long he had laid there; trying to catch his breath as he struggled to move, until a stray hiker came to his rescue. _

_After days of walking back to the circus site, Clint finally saw her, his little sister. She looked worried, and had right to be. After their parents died Clint never left her alone for more than a day._

_He was gone for three. She continued pacing outside the tent where the show was held while an older and very close friend of his tried to calm her down. It was easy to tell that she wasn't listening. Then Tabby's eyes landed on him and ran to him. He caught her flying hug with a grunt and held her close to him._

_She was only six-teen then, but she looked a little older. Her green hazel eyes full of concern as she tilted her delicate little head to one side lightly; her pretty little face wore a frown as she stroked her brother's hair. Her curly brown hair falling over one side of her shoulder, hiding part of her acrobat costume, "What happened," she asked worriedly, painfully reminding him of their mother._

_"I fell," he mumbled. He may be eighteen but he sure didn't sound like it._

_That's the night they ran away. That's the night the man he thought of as a second father was shot because of them. That was the night that began the rest of their lives._

_Four years later, he and Tabby were official agents in SHIELD. Tabby became The Gray Lady, super spy and he turned in Hawkeye, master marksman. That was about the time she met him. Brandon Franklin, SHIELD's telekinetic. What his little sister saw in him he had no clue. Maybe it was more curiosity than true emotion. Clint decided to brush it off, how serious could they be after a year? Besides both were too busy with SHIELD work to start a "serious" relationship, so he decided to leave them be and let their little romance fizzle out on its own._

_Aproximetly a year and a half had already passed, then one night Tabitha came in with a small excited smile and practically stopped his whole world with one sentence, "He asked me to marry him…and I said yes." An argument broke out but it didn't last long, he could never stay mad at her, especially not when she's so happy. _

_"I'm happy for you," he said and gave her a hug._

_"Plus it's not like we do what you and Natasha do," Tabby said, eliciting a blush from her elder brother. _

_"Oh," he mumbled._

_About another year later she was pregnant. Pregnant. His little sister was pregnant. That red headed, telekinetic, imp got his little sister pregnant. He winced at the thought but smiled none the less. He was going to be an uncle…and she was going to be an aunt if Natasha's suspicions were correct…which they usually were. He told her that and she squealed with excitement. "This is going to be great!"_

_A month later Brandon died and Tabby was distraught. She didn't leave her apartment for days causing him to worry. So one day Clint went up there with his key only to find Tabby on her couch in their abnormally dark living room. Her eyes were puffy and her face was red, her hair in a rat's nest and her eyes held a broken look while she lay curled around her stomach._

_He pulled open the curtains, turned on the lights and turned the radio on. "Snap out of it Tabitha." he ordered sternly, causing the young woman to snap from her thoughts._

_"But-"she said weakly, but Clint cut her off._

_"No buts. You think he wants you to lay here missing him? Think he wants you to be depressed? Have the baby, and then go back to being depressed?" he questioned. "Tabby he's gone but I guarantee he's still looking after you and your kid. And frowning. Just because he's dead doesn't mean you get to stop living." That was all Clint said before storming out. Slowly but surely he watched his sister come back to life. And for once Clint felt like he did something right when it came to his sister._

_Tabitha gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a month after Natasha. Clint said he was going to spoil them both which caused both women to roll their eyes. "What's her name," he asked as he sat down next to her._

_"Annaliese Talia Franklin," she murmured as she stroked the sleeping newborn's cheek._

_"Beautiful," he said._

_"Thanks…do you want to hold her," she asked. He just nodded dumbly and smiled as the baby was passed into his arms. She woke up and whimpered at the transition but after a moment she quieted and her baby blue eye gazed up to meet his._

_"She's beautiful Tabby," he mumbled as he rocked his niece back and forth. "One question: mind if I call her Anna?"_

_"Go for it….Mind if I take a nap…I'm exhausted."_

_"Go for you it, you deserve it," he said. After his sister went to sleep he whispered to the wide awake baby, "Hi Anna! I'm Uncle Clint…that tall pretty lady over there is Aunt Natasha, and the baby in her arms is your cousin Amy. And the lady sleeping is your mommy. Let me tell you kid you've got one of the best mommies in the whole wide world…."he started. It went on like that for the next few hours until they left._

_Six months later Tabitha called Clint up to her apartment, "Could you watch Anna while I get ready?"_

_"Sure," he said "where you going?"_

_"Doctor, check -up time for the both of us," she called from the bedroom._

_"Have fun," he said as he walked over to Anna's play pen. "Peek-a-boo," he said as he pressed his face to the mesh siding of the playpen. The little girl squealed at the sight of her uncle and reached for him, wanting him to pick her up. Clint complied then blew a raspberry on her belly, causing her to giggle. "Unc," she said patting his cheek, he smiled and kissed her little hand._

_About an hour later Tabitha reappeared in the living room. "Okay Clint. Handover my daughter, play date's over," she said._

_"Fiiiiiinnnneee," he moaned playfully_

_"Momma! Momma! Momma," Annaliese said happily as her mother neared._

_"Hi baby," she cooed as she kissed her daughter's cheek, "Time to go, say bye-bye to Uncle Clint." Apparently she didn't want to go, because she began to whimper and her lip began to tremble. "Shhh baby its okay. You two can play later, I promise." That got her to quiet down._

_"Bye Clint," she said before walking out._

_"Later Tabby," he called as he closed the door behind him and went home. Hours passed. Still no sign of Tabby or Anna, and he was worried. What happened to his little sister, he knew she wouldn't keep her daughter out this late at night. _

_"Calm down Clint, she probably heading home right now," Natasha said as she rocked their crying daughter back and forth. Clint took Amy from her arms and began to rock her himself, sleep normally came faster in his arms anyway._

_"You're probably right," he sighed as he stroked his daughter's back. Soon the little girl fell asleep and Clint placed her in her crib and covered her up. "Night, baby girl, I love you." She gurgled in her sleep causing him to smile. He kissed Amy's head goodnight before heading back to wrap his arms around his wife._

_That's right about when the floor was pulled from underneath him. Apparently his sister thought it would be a good idea to walk to their appointment….and they were attacked…both of them. Tabitha was killed in the attack…they carried her to the hospital and she bled to death on the way there._

_"What about her baby girl," Clint asked the doctor hoarsely._

_"She's gone," he said. By gone Clint had thought he meant dead so without giving him a chance to further explain he told the good bye and threw the phone against the wall in anger at himself for not being there. Then after a second he sank to the ground and sobbed for his sister and little niece._

The thought still brings tears to eyes. He drove home after an hour of driving in circles and told Tasha he'd come in in a few seconds. Much to his relief she didn't push. He rested his troubled head against the steering wheel and thought about it all. Then smiled a little as a spark of hope lit up inside his chest; his niece…this girl…was probably her.


End file.
